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(No Model.)

W. G. SPIEGEL. TIME LOCK FOR SAVINGS BANKS.

No. 474,870; Patented May 17, 1892.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM G. SPIEGEL, OF N EWV YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO LEROY W. BALDlVIN,OF SAME PLACE.

TlME-LCK FOR SAVINGS-BANKS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 474,870, dated May 1'7,1892.

Application filed June 16, 1891- Serial No. 396,429. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM G. SPIEGEL, a citizen of the United States,residing at New (Case No. 2;) and I do hereby declarethe fol lowing tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

My invention relates to that class of mechanism by which a receptaclefor coin or other things may be locked and remain locked until theexpiration of a certain time before it can be opened.

In the drawings, Figure l is a vertical section on line 00 0:, of Fig.2, showing a portion of a clock-case with the coin-receptacle andopening mechanism. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, a part of easingbeing broken away.

It is evident thatif atoy savings-bank could be made with a lock whichcould be set to open at a certain date it would be useful in enablingchildren to save up their money for a certain day, as Christmas or theFourth of July. The great cost of the ordinary form of time-lock hasheretofore prevented anything of the kind being applied to a toy bank,however, and the combination of such a bank with an ordinary clock hasbeen out of the question, because the work of releasing the lock by anycheap mechanism would be sufficient to destroy the accuracy of theclockmovement, and consequently detract from its value as a time-keeper.To avoid these difficulties and disadvantages, I have hit upon the ideaof employing the power exerted to wind up the clock to operate the lockinstead of calling upon the power of the clock-spring to do this work.The clock-train merely stands guard over the lock and will not permit itto be opened until it (the clock-movement) has run down and been woundup a certain number of times, during which a certain nu mber of hours ordays must have elapsed. After the clock has run down a certain number oftimes, determined by setting the intermediate mechanism, a furtherattempt to wind it up will release the lock and permit the door to open.

The above is my preferred principle of operation, though it would bepossible to combine an ordinary toy savings-bank having a slot throughwhich coins may be introduced and a door through which the accumulatedcoins may be removed, with a clock and a train of mechanism so arrangedthat the power stored up in the clock-spring should open the look at apredetermined time by simply reversing the action of the pawl-audratchetconnection herein shown and described.

Referring to the mechanism shown in the drawings, A is a c1ockcase,which is divided by the partition B into a chamber a, in which the usualtrain of clock mechanism is contained, and a second chamber b, whichserves as a receptacle for moneys of various kinds.

This partition is cut away at one end, as

shown in Fig. 2, to dial-wheel K.

In the clock-case proper is the clock-train O, which operates thehandsbefore the clockface, over which the glass F is placed in themanner common and well understood.

S is the shaft to which one end of the clock mainspring X is attached,from which shaft the clock-train is driven and by which the springis-wound up. On this mainspring-shaft is the flange or disk D,upon whichis mounted the pawl E by the pivot c. This pawl is normally held againstthe stop H by the weighted end G or by the light spring G. The pawl Eengages with the teeth of the starwheel I, when the shaft S is turned inthe direction indicated by the arrow, turning the star-wheel one toothfor every revolution of the shaft in the direction of the arrow, butslipping by when turned in the opposite direction. On the same shaft asthe star-wheel I and rigid therewith is the pinion i, which meshes withthe teeth in the circumference of the dial-wheel K. On this wheel ismounted the pin or stop L, and the numbers 1 2 3 4., (50., are markedone for every two teeth on the circumference. The door R, opening intothe chamber 1), has hinges T, and a spring-catch M, which snaps over apeg or projection P and locks the door when it is closed. When the catchM is forced down, as by pressure of the stop L, the lock is released andthe spring N forces the door open.

permit the passage of the a revolution and causes it to pass two teeth-V is a slot, through which money may be deposited in the receptacle 1).The dial K revolves stiffly on the arbor 1c.

The method of operating my invention is as follows: The bank being open,the dial K is turned around until the figure indicating the number ofdays for which it is to be set comes opposite the peg P, the shaft Shaving first been turned, so that the pawl E will not interfere with therevolution of the star-wheel. The door then being closed locks itselfand cannot be unlocked from the outside. Suppose the bank is set for tendays. Then every night when the clock is wound up the shaft S is givenfive revolutions, as is customary in cheap clocks, and the star-wheel Iis turned one tooth at each revolution of the disk D, or five in all.This gives the pinion 1 a third of of the dial-wheel K. After the clockhas run twenty-four hours and been wound up again ten times, duringwhich time ten days must have elapsed,afu rther winding up of the clockwill force the pin or stop L against the catch M and release the lock,so that the door will fly open and the contents of the bank may beremoved.

Either the dial K or the star-wheel I are so mounted that while moved bypressure of the hand they will stay still where placed and not turn fromexternal causes, such as simply moving the clock about. It is evidentthat the motion might be transmitted from any member of the clock-trainother than the mainspring-shaft. without departing from the spirit of myinvention in its broadest scope, and that any other adjustable train ofmechanism and any other lock might be used, that the coin-receptaclemight be placed at the back or top, instead of the side of the clock,&c.

Having therefore described my invention, what I claim as new, and desireto protect by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of a clock having its face exposed to view so as totell time, a coinreceptacle in the clock-case, a door for saidreceptacle, a lock on said door, and mechanism whereby motion may betransmitted at the expiration of a predetermined period from a member ofthe clock-train to the lock, and the catch thereby automaticallydisengaged,substantially as described.

2. The combination of a closed receptacle, a door for said receptacle, alock on said door, a clock-train, and an adjustable train of mechanismconveying motion from the shaft of the mainspring to the lock, wherebyafter the mainspring has run down a certain number of times or fractionof a time a further winding up of the spring will release the lock,substantially as described.

The combination of a..coin-receptacle, a door for said receptacle, alock on said door, an adjustable dial-plate inclosed in the same casingwith said receptacle, a projection on said dial -plate which operatesthe look, a clock-train, and gearing conveying motion directly from themain spring-shaft of said clocletrain to said dial, substantially asdescribed.

4. The combination of a coin-receptacle, a door for said receptacle, alock on said door, an adjustable dial-plate inclosed in the same casingwith said receptacle, a projection on said dialplate which operates thelook, a clock-train, and gearing conveying motion from themainspring-shaftof said clock-train to said dial, two members of saidgearing having a pawl-and-ratchet connection, whereby the dial is movedwhen the main shaft is turned backward to wind up the clock, but notwhen the shaft is turned forward to drive the clock-train, substantiallyas described.

5. The combination of aclosed receptacle, a door for said receptacle, alock on said door, a clock-train, and an adjustable train of gearingconveying motion from the mainspringshaft. of said clock-train to saidlock, two members of said train of gearing having a pawl-andratchetconnection, whereby the gearing is moved when the mainspring-shaft isturned backward to wind up the clock, but not when the shaft is turnedforward to drive the clock-train so that after the mainspring has rundown a certain number of times a further winding up of the spring willrelease the lock, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM G. SPIEGEL.

Witnesses:

WARREN W. FOSTER, A. P. SMITH.

